1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a litter box. More particularly, the invention relates to a manual or automated cat litter box designed for the convenient removal and disposal of animal waste.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Pet litter boxes have been around for many years. Litter boxes allow a pet to go to the bathroom at a specific location and facilitate the relatively easy removal of the pet waste. In particular, the wet pet waste combines with the litter to produce large clumps that are relatively easy to remove. In particular, recent developments have produced animal litter that causes animal urine to coagulate with the litter, creating solid ball-like pieces. After the solid ball-like piece is formed, the urine and solid pet waste may be separated from the clean litter to permit cleaning of the litter box.
However, removal of the litter waste is oftentimes cumbersome, messy and unsanitary. In particular, many litter boxes require that an individual sift through the clean litter to remove the solid waste and solid ball-like pieces formed from urine waste. Many pet owners find sifting through litter in this manner to be undesirable and various systems have been developed for the convenient removal of litter waste.
In addition, many litter boxes are open and cats often spread litter beyond the confines of the litter box. Substantial messes can be created when even moderately active cats use these litter boxes on a regular basis.
With the foregoing in mind, elaborate litter systems have been developed which attempt to confine litter and make cleaning easier. These more elaborate litter boxes are, however, often cumbersome to utilize, expensive and oftentimes do not fully achieve the goal of providing a litter box which is enclosed, easily cleaned and inexpensive. The prior art also fails to adequately provide a litter box that is visually pleasing, reduces dust and provides for efficient space usage.
As such, a need exists for an improved litter box which provides pet owners with a convenient, reliable and inexpensive way of removing litter waste from the litter box. The present invention provides such a litter box.